good write up @rob.e I had my reservations about the large offset and rim width on a lowered bus...shame you had to resort to banding, but in the final analysis, it sounds like it drives and handles really well and as previously mentioned, I think these wheels look bob on for a bay...
Thanks for the positive comments I always knew it was going to be a bit of a leap in the dark with the steels, but you learn more i guess when things don't go to plan. I now know that 5x16 ET38 fronts and 6x16 et30 rears are the ideal measurements..
Yep, all good. Always room for improvement though so i'll probably try out matching KYB's on the rear and anti roll bar when funds allow.. I'll probably try some different tyres on the front too - i can get the michelins in a 195/55 with a 91 load rating - its ok with the 87 rated tyres i have now but a higher rating might be better, and there's plenty of room to fit them. I've also fitted my new mirrors now. Wolfsburg West from @Alex VW Heritage to replace the crappy quality repro's i had previously. Untitled by lotus-gt, on Flickr by lotus-gt, on Flickr New one's on the right, stainless heads. The old one's had tarnished/pitted chrome and flapped around in the wind when driving so were not only nasty to look at but also dangerous. The adjusting screw at the bottom of the arm had also sheared on both and been tapped to take a bolt .. which didnt' really work.
Nice one, thanks for the reply! Im in the midst of putting a plan together for the westy, which is in need of some tlc! Those mirrors look good, much better than the tat whats currently available although I have the JK Stainless ones on the westy (four years) and the only gripe I have is with the threaded bit being too short - they have stood up to time quite well
I did some tidying up on the R&R bed yesterday. As we were in a hurry getting the interior in for wedding use last year, i'd not treated the ply we'd used for the base so it was looking a bit out of place alongside the walnut. Also, i don't like to see the staples that are holding the fabric on, and it doesn't look original. I had some woodstain lying around the garage so i used that, and to get close to the OE /westy style i'd located some black fabric type tape. Ideally i'd have done the stain before the fabric when on, but i didn't want to remove it all just for this little job so to protect the edges i just masked off first: Seat finishing... by Rob E, on Flickr work in progress (one coat only at this point): Seat finishing... wip by Rob E, on Flickr .. and finished: Untitled by Rob E, on Flickr The black tape i used was this stuff, spline tape for books: Untitled by Rob E, on Flickr V happy with the look, much closer to OE westfalia plus the stain stuff will protect the timber from marking so it's practical too. Edit: ok, so the spline tape looks like its not sticky enough - its lifting a little - d'oh! Need to research something that's going to work better.
Some more fiddling around with the interior - covered the top of the new storage box with some OG westy material: Storage box - westy plaid by Rob E, on Flickr Storage box - westy plaid by Rob E, on Flickr Storage box - westy plaid by Rob E, on Flickr The foam was off an old cushion from a garden chair we don't use any more, perfect depth, cost nothing, and the westy plaid was an offcut we had from re-covering the rear seat.
@rob.e Does the base of the storage box between the seat run at an angle so it sits flat? Sure the walk through bit is on a slope. I thought about making one with left over materials from my new interior.
ahh.. see what you mean. tbh i didn't have a choice as the fabric piece i had would only cover the top one way.
No, its not on an angle - yes the walk-thru is on a slight slope, but the top of the box is then a similar slant to the base of the seats if you see what i mean. I've got the box dimensions somewhere if you need?
This turned up on Friday; Gas fire suppression system by Rob E, on Flickr Its an automatic gas supression system from VW Aircooled Works; http://www.vwaircooledworks.co.uk/Fire-Extinguisher-System.html same system as hayburner and a few other sell. Great service from Peter @VWacw, and saved a few pennies by mentioning TLB. I’d done the reading on the various types that are available; foam, powder and gas etc. The gas system is going to make the least mess in the engine bay as far as I can see, and also will cool the engine bay so re-ignition is less likely. It’s also pretty neat as it doesn’t need a bunch of tubing to be routed/cable tied across your engine bay. This is the sort of system that is used by the Nascar guys so I’d guess if it’s good enough for them.. I also have a hand-held powder extinguisher in the van so between the two systems I think I’m going to be ok. Easy to fit, just 4 holes to drill and it’s in. I have not wired up the dash LED – tbh I can’t really see the point. If you have a fire you’ll probably already know about it.. and you can check the system is charged /live by looking at the gauge. What I will do though is connect the failsafe to the fuel pump so if the unit discharges it’ll automatically cut power to the pump. So far, for fire prevention I’ve done: - replaced all fuel hoses - checked breather hoses and replaced worn/missing pipes - added a fuel cut-off solenoid so fuel can only flow if there is power to the coil - moved the plastic fuel filter out of the engine bay to behind the firewall (in front of the pump) - added the auto fire suppression system. Anything else i should be checking? Fire system by Rob E, on Flickr
I'd missed one breather hose - its the pesky one behind the tub for the spare wheel. You can't see it unless you use a mirror or poke your smart phone up there and take a pic.. No remnants of any previous fuel pipe in that area so i'm guessing its been like this for some time Untitled by Rob E, on Flickr It's a pain to get to.. need to remove the light unit: Breather hose replace by Rob E, on Flickr Done (7mm braided hose): Breather hose replace by Rob E, on Flickr I'll pick up some waxoly later today and give that whole area a good blast whilst the light unit is out. Also managed to get both headlights working again (fuse issue so easy fix) and i also put some sound insulation on the inside of the front panel (i'd done pretty much everywhere else but not this bit.. Ordered up some rose joints today to re-make the throttle link, and i'm going to put a usb socket in the glove box for descreet iphone charging
from what i've read it isn't necessary, but tbh yes, as i have some proper fuel hose clips i may just pop those on for peace of mind
theres no need for clips, it's vapour only. i did mine without removing the light bloody tight but doable.